Weekly Gamester Reset (Cookie Monster edition)

It’s the first week of the new year and I’m still getting used to writing down 2009 on all my bills instead of 2008. So far, it’s a slow start on Gamester’s end, but I’m sure things will start picking up with Skate 2 and Afro Samurai on the horizon.

These are the type of games the Cookie Monster would eat up if he weren’t hiding in a cave in Pakistan’s Waziristan region. Haha, we’re just joking about that, but that Sesame Street magazine cover is pretty unfortunate.

As for the reset, there wasn’t much happening so we’ll fill you in on some notable lists of the season.

Time’s Top 10 video games: Lev Grossman has a pretty respectable list topped by Grand Theft Auto IV. Although the game is deeply flawed, it does deserve some merit. It’s a pretty mainstream list that’s top heavy on the narrative games.

Doug Elfman’s Top 10 list: This syndicated columnist’s list is full of head-scratchers. Absent are the games you’d expect such asLittleBigPlanet orGears of War 2 and instead this list is a mix of awful movie tie-ins and extremely flawed titles. I mean come on he has Wall-E on his list for christ’s sake. Someone needs to give Elfman a clue.

Sore Thumbs Ex-EGMers list: This collection is interesting because of the people and the subject. Run by former EGM editors Crispin Boyer and Dan â€œShoeâ€ Hsu, this Sore Thumbs list features former video game journos talking about games that didn’t get much exposure as they should have. Saints Row 2 gets some play along with Far Cry 2. The most interesting pick has to Be John Davidson’s choice of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force. I was expecting something different like GRID.

Edge’s Top 30 of 2008: I agreed with a lot of Edge’s picks. Obviously, I had to like they’re No. 1 pick. It’s the same as mine. The rest is fairly justifiable. I disagree with putting Fable 2 up at No. 3 while Fallout 3 is nowhere to be seen in the top 10 (It’s No. 27). Another major game that was left out is Metal Gear Solid 4. The often criticized epic hit No. 14.

Entertainment Weekly’s 10 top list: This is as mainstream as you can get. Wii Fit EW’s picks. I can almost here all the soccer moms squeal with delight. It’s unconventional for sure, but you can make an argument that Wii Fit had the most impact on the gaming scene among the most people. The rest of the list is full of crowd pleaser such as LEGO Indiana Jones. (Why the hell didn’t they put the much superior LEGO Batman in there?) and Grand Theft Auto IV. The only non-mainstream game on the list is Braid.